Where's Ralphie?

By Dawn Greenfield Ireland

Where's Ralphie? is a family screenplay in book format by Dawn Greenfield Ireland.

Logline: A single dad discovers his daughter’s imaginary friend is real... and he’s an invisible, highly trained dog fleeing from the government.

Gary Smalley, a widower and inventor with two young daughters is worried about Ginger, his 6-year-old. She’s had a make-believe friend for a while and bugs Gary to get a dog because Buttercup, the cat, isn’t any fun. Clem, Ginger’s older sister, is too wrapped up in sports to pay much attention to Ginger.

Diane, Gary’s best friend and secret admirer, has a government contract to train dogs for espionage. A special blue formula makes the dogs invisible. The Chief sends special agents Mr. Water and Mr. Blue, to the training facility for an update. The government guys are all agog over the Star-Warsey vault that contains the training course and the HAL 2000 Dog Monitor computer – Gary’s creations.

While performing a live test downtown, Seventy-Six, a Jack Russell Terrier and Diane’s star pupil, becomes partially visible. Everyone panics: glitches are traceable. Even with the flaw, Seventy-Six completes the mission undetected.

Mr. Blue tells Diane the mission is a success and for her to hand over Seventy-Six; he’s needed right away in the government’s war against terrorists. Diane is gobsmacked by this bit of news. She trained the dogs for espionage. HAL instructs Seventy-Six to run.

As Gary leaves the patent office, Seventy-Six jumps in the back of his SUV and discovers Ginger’s missing doll. Seventy-Six, invisible, jumps on Ginger. She screams up a storm as she's pushed down and licked. When she discovers that he’s a real invisible dog, she’s thrilled. She names him Ralphie. Gary and Clem thinks Ginger’s new dog is make believe.

Mr. Blue and Mr. Water search for Ralphie while Diane is distraught at losing her beloved dog and possibly her government contract.

Gary and Clem finally realize that Ralphie is a real dog, and one of Gary’s inventions allows them to see him, if only briefly. Diane asks Gary to help her devise a plan to keep him safe from the government agents.

Mr. Water and Mr. try to capture Ralphie. They break into the Smalley home at night, but he keeps alluding them. Ralphie sneaks out one night to scare the agents away; Ginger sneaks out after him. At the crack of dawn, Gary, Diane and Clem discover Ginger and Ralphie missing -- possibly kidnapped and dognapped. They set out to find and rescue them with the aid of Gary’s invention.

It’s a happy ending for all. The Chief retires Ralphie and Ginger gets to keep him. Diane is awarded the full contract for her espionage program. Mr. Water shows up with a government contract for two of Gary’s inventions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dawn Greenfield Ireland - Artistic Origins
• Release date: Feb 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781940385587

Dawn Greenfield Ireland

Dawn Greenfield Ireland is the author of several award-winning novels, nonfiction books, and screenplays. To date she has 21 published books that consists of four series (cozy mystery, YA science fiction/fantasy, adult shape-shifter, and dystopian), sci-fi romance adventure, and nonfiction work, which includes online courses. See also my adult shapeshifter books (Bonded) under the name of DG Ireland.

Book preview

CONTENTS

Books by

Screenplays by

Acknowledgments

How to Read A Screenplay

Inside Cover

Where’s Ralphie Screenplay

About the Author

Books byScreenplays by

Where’s Ralphie? by Dawn Greenfield Ireland

Published by Artistic Origins

Copyright © 2022 by Dawn Greenfield Ireland

Book cover design by JewelDSign on Fiverr.com

Interior layout by Yours Truly (me)

ISBNs:

9781940385587 eBook

9781940385594 Paperback

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author and/or publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Dawn Greenfield Ireland

Artistic Origins Inc.

www.dawngreenfieldireland.com

Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

This book may contain references to specific commercial products, process or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, specific brand-name products and/or trade names of products, which are trademarks or registered trademarks and/or trade names, and these are property of their respective owners. Dawn Greenfield Ireland or her associates, have no association with any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, specific brand-name products and/or trade names of products.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Please visit my website: http://dawngreenfieldireland.com/ and sign up for my newsletter and get the latest news before the public.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Where’s Ralphie has been around the block… a few times! The name of this screenplay has changed three or four times in all those updates.

When it was titled A Girl and Her Dog, the screenplay was awarded a Kids First! Endorsement by the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media 10/2012

I posted that success on Facebook, and it was optioned by Shadow Cave Pictures LLC / Michelle Mower. Unfortunately, the deal fell apart and the script wasn’t produced.

This current version had tremendous help from Stephanie Rogers (https://write2wow.com) back in 2016. Stephanie took the concept to the next level.

So, filmmakers, take this project and get it out to the public!

WHERE’S RALPHIE?

SCREENPLAY FORMATTED AS A BOOK

DAWN GREENFIELD IRELAND

Artistic Origins Artistic Origins

HOW TO READ A SCREENPLAY

About Screenplays…

This is one of my screenplays that I have adapted into book format. The number of pages from script to book format changed due to the formatting characteristics of the program to create eBooks and paperbacks.

In case you are not familiar with the elements of a script, I’ll try to help you out so you enjoy reading these pages.

INT. means any interior scene, such as a room, building, barn, etc.

EXT. means any exterior scene, such as outside on the grass, outside of the car, house — you get it, right?

When a character is introduced the first time, their name appears in all capital letters. After that, the name is displayed as normal.

Character dialog in a screenplay is tricky in this format. The character name is in the center of the page, then the dialogue is inset at the left margin. I’ve done my best with the formatting, but it isn’t perfect. You will notice that the dialogue is centered — I can’t seem to get it left/inset.

Each character action is in a separate paragraph.

If you have questions, suggestions, tips, send me an email: [e-mail]

Inside cover

WHERE’S RALPHIE SCREENPLAY

Where’s Ralphie? Is a family screenplay. It’s a little long at 116 pages in screenplay format. The book format is even longer.

Logline: A single dad discovers his daughter’s imaginary friend is real… and he’s an invisible, highly trained dog fleeing from the government.

FADE IN:

EXT. DEWDROP MEADOWS - DAY

A quintessential American suburb. The hustle bustle of growth all around.

A school sits adjacent to a park with a baseball diamond. A warehouse backs up to the fence.

EXT. GARY'S HOUSE - DAY

A ranch-style house with a wishing well on the zigzagged mowed lawn. The mailbox at the curb sports three name plates:

INSERT NAME PLATES ON MAILBOX:

Smalley Family

Gary's Fix-It Shop

Hard Analytical Logic

INT. KITCHEN - DAY

A hose runs from the faucet to a coffee maker which is connected to a jar of coffee beans and a coffee grinder.

GARY, thirty-eight, a younger version of Robert Redford, but a little sad, reads the paper and drinks coffee in pajamas and a ratty robe.

He spits out pieces of coffee beans in his hand.

CLEMENTINE (CLEM), a tomboy at ten, stuffs the remains of breakfast in her mouth and guzzles milk.

BUTTERCUP, the family cat, runs from under the table and jumps out the dog door.

GINGER (O.S.)

Daddy, Buttercup isn't any fun. Can I have a dog?

GARY

You know the rules, Ginger. No more pets until Daddy sells more inventions. Besides you two don't even take good care of Buttercup.

GINGER, six, who has a make-believe friend named DD, climbs out from under the table. She clutches a ragged stuffed dog toy and sits in her chair.

GINGER

Aw, Daddy. I bet Mommy would have let me get a puppy.

GARY

Mommy is with the angels so she's left all decisions up to Daddy.

CLEM

It's your turn to clean the litter box, Ginger-root.

GARY

I rest my case. A cat is much easier to care for than a dog.

Clem brightens.

CLEM

I'll walk the dog!

GARY

When? Between school and sports? This is a closed subject for now.

Ginger leans toward the empty chair and cups her ear.

GINGER

DD said Clementine didn't clean the bathroom.

Clem pushes Ginger's chair with her foot.

CLEM

Dufus Dumbo DD, who everyone knows is make believe, is a tattle tale. Maybe DD should do some chores around here, too.

GINGER

Leave DD alone.

GARY

Will you two stop squabbling and get going. You'll be late for school.

The doorbell rings. A key turns in the lock.

DIANE LYONS, early 30s, one hundred percent together in jeans, T-shirt, pony tail wearing her